Interchangeable neon sign letter



March 25; 1341. L. B. THOMAS 2,236,324

INTERCHANGEABLE NEON SIGN LETTER Filed March 5, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

This invention aims Patented Mar. 25, 1941 D STATES PATENT OFFICE INTERCHANGEABLE NEON SIGN LETTER Luther B. Thomas, Memphis, Tenn.

Application March 3, 1938, Serial No. 193,756

9 Claims. to provide a sign of the neon type, in which the characters may be interchanged readily, it being possible to form spaces between words, without interrupting the continuity of the sign.

The invention aims further to provide novel means for maintaining a circuit through the characters.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and devices of that type to tion appertains.

With the above an which will appear as to enhance the utility of which the present invend other objects in view, the description proceeds,

the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may

be made within the s cope of what is claimed,

without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying Fig. 1 shows in eleva drawings: tion, a portion of a device constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view wherein the back wall of the casing has been removed;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3 showing the parts as they will appear before the character is put in place;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the parts as they will appear while the character is being put in place;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

wall 2, a top 3, a bottom the front plate 4 being '2! and a front plate 4, reversely curved upon itself to form an opening 5, an upper depending double-walled flange 6 double-walled flange I.

and a lower upstanding 'In the casing l is disposed a longitudinal insulating bar 8 or support the top 3 of the casing which is joined rigidly to I by insulating brackets 9.

The support or bar 8 carries depending, converging tongues Ill, tending to close together as in Fig.

4 and terminating in outwardly extended, guiding, hook-shaped ends II. A conductor l2 joins each of the tongues ID with the next adjoining tongue, the tongues, therefore, being in series. The tubes M which form the characters of the sign may be mounted well known neon type.

as desired and are of the They may be located in box-like carriers or receptacles I5, each including an integral front wall 22 and a movable rear wall 23. The wall 22 is provided with cut out portions 24 in the form of the character desired. Back of the wallZZ is secured a transparent plate l6, having impressed thereon translucent characters 25 corresponding with the cut out portions 24 and in registry therewith.

By means of securing elements l9, an inverted, V-shaped insulating block I1 is secured to the top of each receptacle I5 and carries oppositely disposed conducting strips I8. The securing elements I9 may be used as binding posts for conductors 20 leading from the strips I8 to the character-forming tubes M.

In practical operation, referring to Fig. 5, the receptacle I5 is placed Within the casing I and is raised up until the receptacle clears the lower flange I of the casing I. Then the receptacle i5 is permitted to move downwardly into contact with the bottom 2| of the casing I, the receptacle being held in place by the flanges 6 and I, as Fig. 3 of the drawings will show. By permitting the receptacle I5 to drop downwardly into the position of Fig. 3, considerable strain is taken off the resilient tongues I0, since they are not spread too widely apart by the insulating blocks 1 and the conducting strips I8, as shown in Fig. 5.

The operation of the device is simple. It will be obvious that the current flowing through the conductors II will be carried by the tongues It and the strips I8, into the conductors 2G, and thus into the character-forming tubes M.

It is to be noted that the tongues I!) are liberally distributed along the bar 9, as shown in Fig. 2, and there is ample provision, therefore, for characters which are narrow and for characters of considerable breadth. The construction is such that any character may be omitted, thereby leaving a space between words, if desired. The tubes l4 preferably are connected to the rear member 23 of the receptacles I5 by tube supports 26, but they might be mounted otherwise. It might be further stated that the casing I provides a weatherproof housing for the sign thereby preventing arcing of the circuit.

, If all the tubes l5, saving one or two for instance, are removed, a higher potential will be built-up in the system and across the terminals of the remaining tubes. resistance of the displaced tubes forms no part of the present invention, but is desirable. The state of the prior art and the skill of the electrician may be relied upon to suggest proper compensating-means. For instance the placing of a resistance (unworthy of delineation in the drawings) directly across the terminals of the tubes, will answer the purpose.

The device is simple in construction, but will be found thoroughly advantageous for the ends in view.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a sign, a casing, character supports, a circuit in the casing and comprising pairs of resilient members, the members of each pair closing together, upon removal of said character supports, to complete the circuit, characters carried by the supports, conducting elements on the supports and adapted to engage between the members of any pair, and conductors leading from the conducting elements to the characters.

2. In a sign, a casing having a bottom and having a front opening bounded by a depending upper flange and an upstanding lower flange, character supports, a circuit in the casing and comprising pairs of resilient tongues, the tongues of each pair closing together, upon removal of said character supports, to complete the circuit, characters on the character supports, upwardly converging conductin-g elements on the character supports, and conductors connecting the conducting elements with the characters, the conducting elements being insertible between the tongues of any pair, when the upper ends of the character supports are inserted behind the upper flange,v

the lower ends of the character supports then being insertible behind the lower flange,- and being downwardly movable until they rest upon the bottom, thereby to reduce the spreading apart of the tongues by the conducting elements and to minimize the strain on the tongues.

3. In a sign, a casing having a bottom and having a front opening bounded by a depending upper flange and an upstanding lower flange, character supports, an insulating bar, means for supporting the insulating bar in' the upper portion of the casing, pairs of resilient tongues on the bar, a conductor joining one tongue of each pair with the adjacent tongue of an adjoining pair, the tongues of each pair closing together, upon removal of said character supports, to complete a circuit through the conductors, characters on the character supports, upwardly converging conducting elements on the character supports, and conductors connecting the conducting elements with the characters, the conducting elements being insertible between the tongues of any pair when the upper ends of the character supports are inserted behind the upper flange, the lower ends of the character supports then being insertible behind the lower flange and being downwardly movable until they rest upon the bottom, thereby to reduce the spreading apart of the tongues by the conducting elements and to minimize the strain on the tongues.

4. In a sign, a circuit comprising pairs of resilient members, character supports removably mounted in a casing, the members of each pair closing together to complete the circuit when the character supports are removed, characters carried by the supports, conducting elements on the supports and adapted to engage between the members of any pair, and conductors leading from the conducting elements to the characters.

5. In a sign, a mounting, removable character supports on the mounting, characters carried by the supports, resilient members carried by the 5 mounting and forming parts of a circuit, the resilient members closing together to complete said circuit when the supports are removed, conducting elements on the character supports and adapted to engage between the resilient members, and conductors leading from the conducting elements to the characters.

6. In an electrically illuminated sign, a channeled holder for interchangeable sign elements, an electrical conductor in said holder, a sign element comprising a symbol portion and a mounting portion, means on said mounting portion for interrupting the continuity of said electrical conduct-or upon introduction of the mounting portion into said channeled holder, and other means 2 on said mounting portion for electrically engaging said conductor across the point of interruption to place said sign element electrically in series with said conductor.

'7. In an electrically illuminated sign, a chan-' neled holder for interchangeable sign elements, an electrical conductor in said holder, said conductor comprising sections movable to interruptthe continuity of the conductor, a sign element comprising a symbol portion and a mounting portion, means on said mounting portion for interrupting the continuity of said electrical con-ductor and electrically engaging said conductor across the point of interruption to place said sign element electrically in series with said conductor upon introduction of said mounting portion into assembled relation with said channeled portion.

8. In an electrically illuminated sign supporting means for interchangeable sign elements, an electrical conductor associated with said sup- 40 porting means, a sign element comprising a symbol portion and a mounting portion for association of said sign element with said supporting means, means on said mounting portion for interrupting the continuity of said electrical con- 45 ductor upon association of said sign element with said supporting means, and other means on said mounting portion for electrically engaging said conductor across the point of interruption to place said sign element electrically in series with 50 said conductor.

9. In an electrically illuminated sign, supporting means for interchangeable sign elements, an electrical conductor associated with said supporting means, said conductor comprising sections 55 movable to interrupt the continuity of said conductor, a sign element comprising a symbol :portion and a mounting portion for association of said sign element with said supporting means, and means on said mounting portion for interrupting 60 the continuity of said electrical conductor and electrically engaging said conductor across the point of interruption to place said sign element electrically in series with said conductor upon association of said sign element with said supporting means.

LUTHER B. THOMAS. 

